Pay before you pump your gas....
By whywiki
@whywiki (6066)
Canada
March 22, 2008 10:37am CST
One more little inconvenience. At the beginning of the month a new law went into effect in my province. When getting fuel for your car you have to prepay. You can pay at the pump and it makes it easier. But if you want to pay cash you have to guess how much it will cost to fill the tank. Then you go back to the car and pump the gas. If you have overpaid it is back into the store for your change. Now we have lineups to the doors and the staff doing twice the work and probably for no more money that they were making. The reason for all this started when a gas jockey who tried to stop a gas and dash was dragged to his death. Now I feel for this gas jockey and his family but....why should a whole province be inconvenienced for this? Do you have to prepay for fuel where you live?
3 people like this
21 responses
@queenofarms (1659)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Here where I live its been in affect for a long time. I guess ever since gas prices started skyrocketing. Here is to stop drive offs.
But I know what you mean it is a hassle. Thats why I just use my credit card.
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
22 Mar 08
I tried to pay at the pump at the Shell station here with my debit card and it kept saying see attendant. I tried three times before I gave up and went in. Turns out those pumps automatically try and do $100 prepay and if you have less that $100 in your account it doesn't work. On this dy I had $99 in my account! I only wanted $20 worth as it was hubby's van! Took me at least 20minutes to get fuel. I was not impressed!
@queenofarms (1659)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Well that would pee me off too. They need to rework their pumps to accomadate us poor people that don't have 100.00 in our accts.
@srhelmer (7047)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
22 Mar 08
I'm actually a bit surprised you don't see more gas stations doing that. Ever since gas prices have gone up, you see quite a few people trying to steal it.
@Darkwing (21583)
•
22 Mar 08
No, we don't have pre-paid fuel in England yet, but I would imagine it would make life very difficult, both for the driver and the attendants. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with a way of regulating the fuel emitted when pre-paying. If a pump can be regulated in this way, and cut off at the exact amount paid, then it would be a much more effective commodity.
Brightest Blessings.
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Where I live in kansas we do have some of the gas stations that you also have to prepay. But its usually late in the evenings when you have to do it. I think its because late at night people that get gas drive off and dont pay for it.
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
22 Mar 08
We used to have it at night after certain hours at certain stations and that was fine by me, I just get tired of all the wasted time waiting in lines. Our gas is at $1.18 a litre I think that is around $5 a gallon but not sure as I don't feel like doing math!
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
23 Mar 08
My sympathies to the Victim's Family. Here in Northern Ireland, (or so far anywhere in Ireland) I've never yet seen a credit card operated petrol pump-I've used them on visits to the US, and think them convenient-put in the card,use the pump,drive off.. no to-ing and fro-ing.. My regular stop here has an attendant when it's busy ,but I don't mind getting my own..I don't usually fill the car til my low fuel light comes on..so If I'm paying cash,I'll see how much I have and put that amount in up to the nearest £5 or £10.,and give it to the attendant. If paying by card,I'll usually fill it all the way,but have to go into the shop to swipe the card..
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
22 Mar 08
If it will deter drive-offs and help keep the costs down, I'll do it gladly!
@StrawberryKisses (2833)
• Canada
23 Mar 08
That law was supposed to be put into effect here in Alberta but so far we haven't seen it happen there are only a few places that have the pay at the pump, pumps. I really think it is retarded that we all have to suffer because one person was stupid enough to chase a vehicle. When I worked at 7-11 if we had anyone do that we had to call the police and let them deal with it. I would NEVER risk my butt for my job it's not worth it when you have a family as I do.
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
22 Mar 08
I live in the states-- and its the same here--- Except you don't overpay-- You just pay what you want to put in.
I always pay by debit/credit card.. so it makes no difference to me- I think they changed it here (it's not a law-- just the individual gas stations get to decide)--- because so many people were mad about the prices and drove off-- without paying.
It stops this now--
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Only a very few gas stations are prepay right here in this area. I agree it is annoying to pay cash. Mostly I pay at the pump anyway because it's easier with the kids but it would be a huge pain if I had to prepay and couldn't do it at the pump...unload three kids, go into the store, wait in line, take three kids back out, load back into carseats, pump gas, unload three kids again to go back into store because I probably guessed wrong when I paid, wait in line some more, go back out, load into carseats again...ugh!
@whittby (3072)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Yes we prepay. What we do is slide the credit card into the pump and wait for authorization before we can begin pumping the gas. We still do have certain stations that will let us pump first if we are paying cash, but not too many. I think the gas and dash has become more common or else the companies just don't trust us!...
...whit
@jtr115 (722)
• United States
22 Mar 08
I'm not sure if it's a state law, but most (if not all) gas stations in Colorado require prepayment. There is a law which states anyone who drives off without paying for gas will lose his driver's license.
One law I feel is an inconvenience (Colorado doesn't have it, but a few other states do) prohibits people from pumping their own gas. I read a blog entry from someone who almost ran out of gas while driving through Oregon to California because of this law and because she couldn't find a gas station that was open overnights.
@chrislotz (8136)
• Canada
7 Jun 08
I live in Alberta, not that far from you and this prepay at the pump has been effect here for quite some time already, probably about 3 or 4 years. I don't go to them though. I only fill up at full service gas stations because I don't like the smell of gas on my hands. Also because I am just too lazy to get my own.
Seriously, I don't go to the stations that have prepay. I just avoid them. They are just too much trouble.
Seriously, I don't go to the stations that have prepay. I just avoid them. They are just too much trouble.
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
23 Mar 08
I went to a gas station once where you had to pay before you pump it was reallly annoying because you don't know how much it is going to take to fill your automobile you just have to kind of guess. Luckily the town I live in is not like that.
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
8 Oct 09
That can be messy, I agree. There are no such thing here in my country. All gas stations here; we need to pump up first before paying. The meter would run and the price would go up accordingly until we stop pumping. The normal method. If there's a prepaid method introduced here, I don't think I would find it convenient. Because I might top up lesser each time and more too.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
23 Mar 08
Gas stations around here have been prepay for years. This was to stop drive offs years ago. If you pay by cash, you have to prepay. Otherwise you have to pay at the pump.
@lingli_78 (12821)
• Australia
23 Mar 08
fortunately, we don't have to pre-paid for our gas here... we can fill our tank first and then go to the store to pay the amount that we owe... and we don't have to pay with cash... that is really fortunate because i always use my credit card to pay for my expenses and hardly carry any cash with me... i can imagine how inconvenient it is for you if you have to pre-paid for your gas first and in cash as well... that will be annoying for me if i have to go back and forth just to grab my change... i'm so sorry that you have to experience that in your area...
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
23 Mar 08
We don't have to prepay at most of the places where I live in NY, but I do know that the drive-off rate of people without paying has been going up and up. Most of the self-serve places have already upgraded their cameras and security so that they can now read the license plates of the people who drive off.
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
23 Mar 08
I work in a convenience store and we had to turn to pre-pay. It is far more common than you would think for people to pump and run. My boss lost over 2 grand in 6 months of stolen gas or people just forgetting to pay. Trying to ring up customers and still pay attention to who is at the pumps was really difficult sometimes. Most places have pre-pay now. It's an inconvenience to be sure but it really had to come to this , sadly. That guy on the news was not the sole cause of it.
@celticflower29 (82)
• United States
23 Mar 08
Where I live we have to prepay but I always use my credit card, so I do not have to pay inside the store. The problem I have seen from time to time, is people driving away with the gas pump still attached to the car!
